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Monday, 1 June 2015

Simon Danczuk In Trouble

Having previously backed Liz Kendall for Labour leader, Simon Danczuk, the self-promoting and nominally Labour MP who represents part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale and sups with the London-Centric rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog, has been giving his chosen candidate the kind of assistance she can probably do without, not least because Danczuk’s “help” has consisted of attacking Andy Burnham.

Behold the representatives of Themselves Personally Now

To this end, Danczuk has been telling the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his pals exactly what they need to know in order to continue undermining Labour, something of which Danczuk may not be aware, despite their being quite open about it. Rochdale’s proud Honourable Member wants the world to know that Burnham has lots of rotten and nasty supporters who, he claims, have sworn at and abused him.

Sadly, the example that the Fawkes blog gives, a dialogue between Danczuk and Éoin Clarke, shows only that the MP is adept at playing the victim, suggesting he is being bullied rather than engage in discussion. It’s a novel addition to Danczuk’s usual smear of claiming his opponents are “Metropolitan Liberals”. Yes, that’s from the man who represents a Metropolitan Borough with a great Liberal tradition.

While it’s interesting to see the amount of attention Danczuk is prepared to devote to running to the Fawkes rabble, it might concern his electorate rather more that he does not appear to be giving equal attention to complying with his duties as an MP - yes, the role for which he was re-elected last month. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards received a complaint about his failure to correctly register remuneration.

And, while the complaint was only in respect of Danczuk’s co-authored book Smile For The Camera, about Rochdale’s former MP (and, it now seems, serial paedophile) Cyril Smith, the subsequent Inquiry shows that, since the date of that complaint, Danczuk made 22 further registrations, of which 12 were declared late. Kathryn Hudson, the Commissioner, was unequivocal in voicing her concern.

“While I do not believe that Mr Danczuk deliberately failed to register his interests, the resulting situation is entirely unacceptable. It has continued during my investigation and as yet I have no evidence that Mr Danczuk has put in place any administrative system which will ensure that it does not”. And there was more.

“This inquiry has raised another issue which is not the subject of the complaint. Mr Danczuk's co-author, who works for Mr Danczuk and is based in his constituency, has a House of Commons pass”. He had not registered payments in accordance with the rules.

Ms Hudson concludes “I am … not confident that [Danczuk] has taken the necessary remedial steps. It is for this reason that with regret I am bringing an otherwise straightforward matter to the attention of the Committee. I have also asked the Registrar, if Mr Danczuk is re-elected, to report to me in October 2015 on his registration practices”.

If only Simon Danczuk had put as much effort into complying with Parliamentary rules as he expends on buttering up the Fawkes rabble, he might not be in such a pickle.